HTC One X Review: Taming the Beast

However, as seen in this drop test, the Corning Gorilla Glass 2 is not impact-resistant, just scratch-resistant. So, make sure your phone never falls, at least not face-down.

Nonetheless, this hammer test proves that you are getting more than what you bargained for anyway, because the Gorilla Glass is surely scratch resistant but not supposed to do this.

The One X comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and does away with the nuances of hardware buttons. The power button is placed at the usual location i.e. at the top, the volume rocker is on the right and the micro-USB port is on the left. The One X has a micro-sim card slot, which opens with a push-pin. The microphone is well placed at the bottom, and there is a 3.5 mm earphone plug placed conveniently at the top.

It is worth noting that this phone is better suited for two-handed operations, or you run the risk of dropping the phone trying your one-handed ninja skills.

Pros: Elegant and sleek design

Cons: Dirt and dust friendly

Android 4.0 and Sense UI

Like any (most) phone in 2012, the One X comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The One X has capacitive buttons for home, back and running tasks keys, instead of dedicated hardware buttons. Android 4.0 has its own awesome features like better multitasking, better notifications and improved lockscreen controls. HTC has taken extra care not to compromise the usability of any of these features with its Sense UI, and has done a good job at improving most of them.

Sense UI on the HTC One X is at version 4.0 and it enhances the usability of the phone. HTC Sense allows up to seven homescreens and allows both stock Android and Sense UI widgets on them. Sense UI has its own app drawer with customizable tabs, and a custom running-tasks menu with a carousel display instead of the list display on stock ICS. The lockscreen too is modified on HTC Sense 4.0, with quick access buttons for common tasks.

HTC’s HD media streaming facility is tied to HTC Sense, and is enabled with a three-finger swipe gesture. Overall, HTC has done an appreciable job with Sense UI, though I would prefer the stock Settings app and running-tasks menu.

Pros: Good app drawer, lockscreen controls and widget selection menu

Cons: Lags at times

Display

The HTC One X has a 720p HD display, and has a display resolution of 1280×720 pixels, spread over a 4.7-inch screen. This gives the One X a pixel density of 312 pixels per inch. Comparatively, the Galaxy Nexus has 316 ppi, Galaxy S3 has 306 ppi and the iPhone 4S Retina Display has 330 ppi. Eventually, those numbers translate into better looking realistic pictures and videos on your phone.

The Corning Gorilla Glass 2 is extremely thin, and this lessens the space between the actual display and the glass surface, creating a livelier image. The HTC One X is characterized by a Super LCD2 screen, which offers a glare free display with a wide 180 degree viewing angles. The phone is good enough for outdoor usage under bright sunlight and the display does not feel washed out like AMOLED displays.

The display on the one X is too good to be true and the color and temperature reproductions are the most accurate I have ever seen on a phone.

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Chinmoy Kanjilal

Chinmoy Kanjilal is a FOSS enthusiast and evangelist. He is passionate about Android. Security exploits turn him on and he loves to tinker with computer networks. You can connect with him on Twitter @ckandroid.
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